1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an anastomosis device and method, and more particularly, the invention relates to an anastomosis device and a deployment system for forming a sutureless connection between two blood vessels.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Vascular anastomosis is a procedure by which two blood vessels within a patient are surgically joined together. Vascular anastomosis is performed during treatment of a variety of conditions including coronary artery disease, diseases of the great and peripheral vessels, organ transplantation, and trauma. In coronary artery disease (CAD) an occlusion or stenosis in a coronary artery interferes with blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment of CAD involves the grafting of a vessel in the form of a prosthesis or harvested artery or vein to reroute blood flow around the occlusion and restore adequate blood flow to the heart muscle. This treatment is known as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
In the conventional CABG, a large incision is made in the chest and the sternum is sawed in half to allow access to the heart. In addition, a heart lung machine is used to circulate the patient""s blood so that the heart can be stopped and the anastomosis can be performed. In order to minimize the trauma to the patient induced by conventional CABG, less invasive techniques have been developed in which the surgery is performed through small incisions in the patients chest with the aid of visualizing scopes. Less invasive CABG can be performed on a beating or stopped heart and thus may avoid the need for cardiopulmonary bypass.
In both conventional and less invasive CABG procedures, the surgeon has to suture one end of the graft vessel to the coronary artery and the other end of the graft vessel to a blood supplying vein or artery, such as the aorta. The suturing process is a time consuming and difficult procedure requiring a high level of surgical skill. In order to perform the suturing of the graft to the coronary artery and the blood supplying artery the surgeon must have relatively unobstructed access to the anastomosis sites within the patient. In the less invasive surgical approaches, some of the major anastomosis sites cannot be easily reached by the surgeon because of their location. This makes suturing either difficult or impossible without opening up the chest cavity.
An additional problem with CABG is the formation of thrombi and atherosclerotic lesions at and around the grafted artery, which can result in the reoccurrence of ischemia. Thrombi and atherosclerotic lesions may be caused by the configuration of the sutured anastomosis site. For example, an abrupt edge at the anastomosis site may cause more calcification than a more gradual transition. However, the preferred gradual transition is difficult to achieve with conventional suturing methods.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a sutureless vascular anastomosis device which easily connects a graft to a target vessel. It would also be desirable to provide a sutureless anastomosis device which is formed of one piece and is secured to the target vessel in a single step.
The present invention relates to an anastomosis device for connecting an end of a graft vessel to a target vessel. The anastomosis includes a first linkage formed of a plurality of struts and a plurality of axial members. The first linkage is expandable from a first configuration in which the first linkage is a substantially cylindrical shape to a second configuration in which the first linkage includes a first radially extending flange. A substantially cylindrical central connecting portion extends from the first linkage. A second linkage is configured to form a second radially extending flange spaced from the first radially extending flange.
In accordance with an additional aspect of the present invention, an anastomosis device for connecting an end of a graft vessel to a target vessel includes an expandable device formed from a plurality of struts and deformable from a first configuration in which the device is substantially tubular to a second configuration in which the device includes a first radial flange and a second radial flange spaced from the first radial flange a distance sufficient to accommodate a wall of a blood vessel. A first end of the expandable device includes a first linkage which changes from a substantially tubular configuration to a radially extending configuration to form the first flange upon radial expansion of the first end by an expander positioned in a center of the expandable device. A second end of the expandable device includes a second linkage which is configured to form the second radial flange upon deployment of the device.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of performing anastomosis includes the steps of providing a one-piece tubular anastomosis device; everting an end of a graft vessel around the anastomosis device; puncturing a target vessel with a trocar; inserting the tubular anastomosis device with everted graft vessel into the puncture in the target vessel; radially expanding the tubular anastomosis device with an expander to cause portion of the tube to fold outward forming a first annular flange; and forming a second annular flange on the anastomosis device to trap a wall of the target vessel between the first and second annular flanges and seal the graft vessel to the target vessel.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, an anastomosis device deployment system includes a handle, a holder tube attached to the handle, and an expander positioned within the holder and slidable with respect to the holder to a position at which the expander is positioned within the anastomosis device to radially expand the anastomosis device. The holder tube has a distal end configured to hold the anastomosis device with an attached graft vessel.